In Nottuln it was a cold morning, but in Adelaide it was a summer evening when Vera Theresa Storp <!––> now about her doctoral project with Mayor Dr. Dietmar Thönnes <!––> exchanged.
How does the environment affect people and how do the surroundings and the living space shape this relationship? Storp deals with these questions in her doctoral thesis, which she is currently writing on a scholarship at the University of Adelaide, Australia. The doctoral candidate, who originally comes from Nottuln herself, is researching the human-environment relationship in urban and rural areas in Germany and has chosen her old home Nottuln as a case study location in addition to Paderborn, reports the Nottuln municipality in a press release.
As part of her work, she also collects data from surveys and interviews that she conducts with citizens, decision-makers and politicians – including Mayor Dr. Dietmar Thönnes. In a joint video conference, Storp asked him about his assessment and visions for Nottuln with regard to nature, local planning and the environment and what role these topics play in current politics in the community.
“In Nottuln I perceive a deep closeness to nature – especially in the project and the requirement to protect nature and our environment,” explained Dr. Thönnes. “Land use, biodiversity, ecological building and sustainable mobility concepts: In the political context, these important concerns have long since arrived and also shape my work for the community significantly.”
The scientific work should be completed in about one and a half years. However, Storp does not want to wait that long to visit her home country because she has not been able to visit her family for months due to the pandemic.
“I wish you every success with your research and look forward to a personal exchange as soon as Corona allows a visit to Nottuln again”, Thönnes concluded the conversation, which with a nine and a half hour time difference and a distance of around 15,000 kilometers was a welcome change brought everyday video conferencing.
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